Nature Made Vitamins Recalled After Incomplete Staph Infection Tests

Can taking too much vitamin B be a health risk?Photograph by Bloomberg via Getty Images

Nature Made is voluntarily pulling batches of its gummy vitamins off shelves after it discovered that they may be contaminated with salmonella or staphylococcus aureus, i.e. staph infection.

Four types of Nature Made vitamins, made by parent company Pharmavite, are included in the recall: Nature Made Adult Gummies Multi, Nature Made Adult Gummies Multi + Omega-3, Nature Made Adult Gummies Multi for her plus Omega-3s, and Nature Made Super B Complex with C & Folic Acid. The full list of lot numbers included in the recall can be found on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.

Pharmavite issued the nationwide recall after it discovered that the salmonella and staph testing were not completed properly on certain batches of their gummy vitamins. The company said it discovered the source of the error and has “implemented corrective actions to rectify the issue.”

“We are initiating this recall out of an abundance of caution to protect public health,” the California-based company said in a statement. “Pharmavite is working closely with the FDA to implement this recall, and we are notifying all retail customers and distributors to remove the product from store shelves immediately.”

The recall was voluntary, which means that no illnesses have been reported in connection with the affected vitamins.

Staph is a mostly benign bacteria commonly found on the human body. However, in certain circumstances like food contamination, it can cause rapid and acute illness in some people, resulting in nausea, vomiting, retching, abdominal cramping, and extreme weakness. It can also be severe enough to cause blood infections. Staph infections can usually be treated with a full course of antibiotics, though certain strains known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, can be resistant to many antibiotics.

Similarly, salmonella can cause digestive distress like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Infected patients often spike fevers, and infections can become severe if the organism enters the bloodstream and potentially deadly for immune-compromised people, the elderly, and young children.